This is the original Oblivion, running on Bethesda's own Gamebryo engine, not the 2025 Unreal Engine remaster built by Virtuos. The Game of the Year Edition bundles the 2006 base game with the Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions, and the Deluxe variant adds Fighter's Stronghold, Spell Tome Treasures, Vile Lair and the Mehrunes' Razor add on. What you get is the version with the notorious level scaling, the major and minor skill system that punishes players who level naturally, and a difficulty slider that only multiplies damage in both directions. It is also the version with two decades of mods behind it, including Oblivion Script Extender tools and total conversions the remaster cannot load. If you want prettier faces and reworked levelling, buy the remaster. If you want the moddable original that runs on a laptop, this is the one.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Imperial City | Major skills and the level up trap basics | Battlemage | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Kvatch | Attribute multipliers mastery | Battlemage | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Chorrol | Level scaled world + gear | Knight or Battlemage | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Skingrad | Build optimization | Knight | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Bruma | Min-max | Knight or Assassin | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Imperial City)
The hub city at the centre of Cyrodiil, split into districts including the Market District, the Waterfront and the Arena. The Arcane University sits here and unlocks spellmaking and enchanting once the Mages Guild recommendations are done.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 30, relevant throughout Key Rewards: Arcane University access, spellmaking and enchanting altars, Arena Grand Champion title, Thieves Guild contacts at the Waterfront
What to Do in Imperial City
- Learn Major skills and the level up trap. You pick 7 major skills out of 21 at character creation, and raising them by 10 points in total triggers a level up. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Battlemage as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Put skills you never intend to use into your 7 major skills. Because the world scales to character level, a character who levels slowly while training real skills is always ahead of the curve.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Goldbrand or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Major skills and the level up trap fundamentals
- Battlemage selected and functional
- Imperial City main content cleared
- Ready for Kvatch
Phase 2: Early Game (Kvatch)
The burned city where the main quest properly begins, taken by an Oblivion Gate before you arrive. Closing the gate here is the tutorial for every gate that follows and the route to finding Martin.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 8, main quest gate Key Rewards: First Sigil Stone, Martin recruited, Hero of Kvatch title
What to Do in Kvatch
- Work on Attribute multipliers. On level up you choose 3 of the 8 attributes to raise, and the size of each bonus, from plus 1 to plus 5, depends on how many skill increases fed that attribute since the last level. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Goldbrand if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Endurance raises health permanently each level, and past levels do not retroactively benefit, so raising Endurance early is worth more than raising it late.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Chorrol.
- Consider whether Knight might suit your playstyle better than Battlemage.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Attribute multipliers integrated into gameplay
- Goldbrand acquired
- Kvatch fully cleared
- Ready for Chorrol
Phase 3: Mid Game (Chorrol)
Home of the Fighters Guild headquarters and the nearest city to Weynon Priory, where Jauffre is found. A natural first stop for a warrior character who wants a questline that does not require any magic.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 15 Key Rewards: Fighters Guild questline, Weynon Priory main quest thread, Oak and Crosier contacts
What to Do in Chorrol
- Master Level scaled world. Most enemies, loot and even bandit equipment scale to your character level. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Umbra. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Install the Unofficial Oblivion Patch first. It fixes thousands of bugs Bethesda never patched and almost every other mod expects it to be present.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in The difficulty slider for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Level scaled world mastered
- Umbra acquired or in progress
- Chorrol fully cleared
- Ready for Skingrad
Phase 4: Late Game (Skingrad)
The wine country city in western Cyrodiil, ruled by Count Janus Hassildor, whose own questline is one of the better written side stories in the game. Rosethorn Hall is one of the more expensive player houses.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 5 to 25 Key Rewards: Rosethorn Hall player house, the Hassildor questline, Mages Guild recommendation
What to Do in Skingrad
- Finalize your build. You should be running Knight or Battlemage with optimized gear.
- Umbra should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Oblivion Script Extender, usually written OBSE, is a separate executable that many mods require. Launch the game through it rather than through the normal shortcut when those mods are installed.
- Oblivion Gates and Sigil Stones optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Bruma.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Umbra upgraded to max
- Skingrad fully cleared
- Ready for Bruma
Phase 5: Endgame (Bruma)
The Nordic city in the northern mountains and the site of Cloud Ruler Temple, the Blades stronghold. The Great Gate defence outside Bruma is the main quest's largest set piece in the original release.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 10 to 30, late main quest Key Rewards: Cloud Ruler Temple base, the Great Gate battle, Sigil Stone from the largest gate in the game
What to Do in Bruma
- Bruma tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Sigil Stones from Oblivion Gates are free enchantments you can apply to your own gear at the Arcane University, and higher level gates drop better stones, so closing gates late pays more.
- The endgame loop: run Bruma, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Assassin for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Oblivion Gates and Sigil Stones mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Bruma fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Choosing your favourite skills as major skills, which levels the character fast and makes every enemy in Cyrodiil scale up alongside you.
- Confusing this listing with the 2025 remaster. Appid 22330 is the original Gamebryo Game of the Year Edition, and mods, guides and levelling advice do not transfer between the two.
- Ignoring Endurance for ten levels and then wondering why your health pool is half what other players report at the same level.
- Installing a stack of mods without the Unofficial Oblivion Patch or a load order tool, then blaming the base game for crashes.
- Rushing the main quest before doing side content, since Oblivion Gates keep spawning and the world gets harder while your levelling choices are still locked in.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Put skills you never intend to use into your 7 major skills. Because the world scales to character level, a character who levels slowly while training real skills is always ahead of the curve.
- Endurance raises health permanently each level, and past levels do not retroactively benefit, so raising Endurance early is worth more than raising it late.
- Install the Unofficial Oblivion Patch first. It fixes thousands of bugs Bethesda never patched and almost every other mod expects it to be present.
- Oblivion Script Extender, usually written OBSE, is a separate executable that many mods require. Launch the game through it rather than through the normal shortcut when those mods are installed.
- Sigil Stones from Oblivion Gates are free enchantments you can apply to your own gear at the Arcane University, and higher level gates drop better stones, so closing gates late pays more.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Guides
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Overview
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Best Builds
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Tier List
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Beginner's Guide
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Tips & Tricks
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Weapons Guide
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Combat Guide
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Boss Guide
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Maps & Locations
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Crafting Guide
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) Classes & Characters
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